Proclaim Liberty to the Captives!



PROCLAIM LIBERTY

to the CAPTIVES


          C a l ’ s    S t o r y         

 

There was a time when the word “deliverance” meant to me the act of casting demon spirits out of a person who had turned away from sin and wanted to walk with the Lord Jesus.

Now for this writer, the word “deliverance” in addition to the first meaning, includes casting out of demons at any stage of a Christian’s development.

It also means changing from carnal habits to God-honoring healthy habits, cleansing the body of old poisons.

Finally, we now understand that “deliverance” also includes removal from a bad situation.

Cal’s story embodies all of these elements.


clouds 9

 

Cal would occasionally work with my husband, Jim, as a painting contractor. Several times, Cal and I shared wallpapering jobs. Jim used to come home from a day of work with Cal, shaking his head in frustration.

“Honey, seems like for just about anything I tell him, his first words are: ‘Yes, but…’                       “I’m just going to have to pray for the Lord to help me keep my mouth shut except when He really wants it open.”

We laughingly agreed that was the best way to go. So we prayed for Cal, and we prayed for his wife, the mother of his two young children.

Cal’s faith began to grow and he did better for a while, but his marriage was rocky, and Cal made some bad compromises in order to please his wife.        It didn’t work of course, and Cal eventually was back to using drugs and alcohol, and lost his wife anyway.

Cal had been one of the pallbearers at Jim’s funeral, and had come over once or twice to do some painting for me, but I had not seen or heard from him in over a year.  Then one morning the phone rang and Cal was on the line.

“I am in bad trouble and I really need help. I’m over here at the hospital in the psychiatric ward and they won’t let me go.”

“Cal,” I said, “I’m going to call some friends to help with prayer, and I’ll be over there as soon as I can. You hang in there and remember that Jesus loves you.”

After calling a friend and asking her to call another to pray for Cal, I went to the Lord and started claiming God’s promises to His children. Then I rebuked the devil and his bunch. Within about twenty minutes, I felt released to go to the hospital.

I went with a song of praise in my heart and on my lips. I knew God was about to do something special!

The psychiatric ward was on the fourth floor. I went in past the nurses’ station and noticed the zombie-like expressions of the people seated in the lounge. The patients are kept heavily drugged so they won’t be a problem to each other and the staff.

Cal was seated at a table with an open Bible in front of him. When I joined him, he told me what had happened.

Cal’s wife had found someone else, and in his anger and frustration Cal may have threatened to kill himself. (He had no remembrance of that threat however.) His wife ran out, and called the police.

When the officer came, he told Cal to get him the gun. Cal went into his bedroom, took the gun and put a bullet into the television. At this point, the policeman decided Cal needed to be removed from the scene, and took him to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. It was the following morning that Cal called me.

The man was obviously sorrowful about the whole state of affairs and his weaknesses which led to the present situation. I had brought my guitar with me, and we took it into his room, closed the door and began to sing praises to God.

Then I sang the NOW Prayer, and Cal received the prayer as his own:

 

“Now take, take, take away all my sorrow; take, take, take away all my fear.          Now take, take, take away all my loneliness; take, take, take away all my sin…”

 

What a wonderful deliverance Cal received that morning! We just sang and praised God, and the work was done. The tormenting demons left Cal’s mind and body.

As tears of joy filled his eyes, he was given renewed assurance of his salvation, and of God’s great love for him. He knew he was forgiven.

It was beautiful!

Clouds of Glory



There was still a major hurdle that was to come the next morning at the seven a.m. committal hearing. I arrived at about the same time as the judge. We found the little conference room where the psychiatrist and a social worker were already seated. In a few minutes, Cal and Tony, his employer, entered the room.

There was strong tension between those of us at Cal’s end of the table, and the psychiatrist and social worker at the other end. The war between faith in God on the one hand, and unbelief on the other, was about to clash again.

This was one of those times when the presence of angels was very real!

When Cal described the events that brought him to the hospital and his present understanding of it all, he spoke in such a gentle voice and with such clarity of thought, that it seemed obvious to the judge: this man was in control of his faculties.

The psychiatrist recommended that Cal be retained for observation, for six months of therapy. (That meant a lot of drugs and psychological delving.) The lady social worker, trained in the system, agreed with the psychiatrist.

“What is your recommendation?” the judge asked me.

I explained that I had known Cal for about five years and was aware of the background problems which brought him to the hospital. It was clear to me that Cal had been restored to a healthy state of mind the day before, when we had worshiped God and Cal had received His forgiveness.

“A better alternative to a drug therapy would be a metabolic program including body cleansing, proper diet and exercise to bring Cal’s body-mind system into balance.  His spirit is doing fine now. I am a consultant in lifestyle therapy and can help him in this area, as well as in the spiritual.”

Then the judge made his decision:

“I do not see any reason to detain this man any further. If he will go to the mental health center across the way and get the opinion of Dr. M., and if Dr. M. concurs with Mrs. Terrell’s suggestion, my decision is that this man be released now.”

Much elated and thanking God, Cal, Tony and I literally danced out of the hospital a few minutes later, knowing that God had worked another miracle!

Cal’s conference with Dr. M. at the Mental Health Center was again positive.

“I see no reason to commit you, Cal” said the doctor. He also agreed that Cal should follow the diet therapy.

The weeks and months that followed were proof that Cal had indeed been changed. Not only was he changed, but God was using him to bring change to others. His younger brother received Jesus and his life began to change. Another friend received Jesus, and reconciling with his parents, he agreed to go back to college.

Several months after his miracle, Cal called me and said,

“Pray for me, please. I’m flying to Guatemala as part of a mercy mission. God has been so merciful to me, and I just want to spend the rest of my life sharing his love and mercy with others!”

Jesus said it:


“He that is forgiven much, loves much.”


Glory Dawn


 Prepare the way of the Lord!

His Glory overcomes all darkness!



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